Unequal treatment and payment to women in workplace Essay

Unequal treatment and payment to women in workplace - Essay Example Women are usually born with the responsibility to give birth to next generation. However, pregnancy is not considered a disability. However, some companies and employers do not accommodate pregnant workers. In the article ‘women still are not equal in workplace’, by Tyler Vendetti, Tyler illustrates an incident where a pregnant woman was fired at Walmart for asking for the permission to carry a bottle of water even after displaying the doctor’s prescriptionBesides pregnancy, women’s ability is not recognized by many organizations. A recent survey depicted that high-potential women are over supervised and under supported relative to their male counterparts. In some companies, women are not allowed to contribute to major decisions. Apparently, this situation makes women work more and contribute less to the company’s developmental efforts, which is not fair at all.Although women constitute about half the total labor force in different fields, they recei ve a low deal when it comes to payment. Men are usually concentrated in high-paying fields such as finance and engineering. In those high-income fields, women take approximately 37%. However, in the low-income fields such as social services, women constitute about 77.3% of labor force. It can be observed that this is another discrimination in the workplace environment. The society does not believe that women can take an important and hard job such as engineering and finance. Actually, when the companies conduct interviews, they are more likely to hire males in the high paying jobs.

Research on the two careers Proposal Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

On the two careers - Research Proposal Example The areas of study included what the client could expect in terms of educational demands, salary expectations, working conditions, skills development and the level of contact with external forces within each career field. An interview was conducted with the client to uncover their demands in each of these five areas for each career choice. Human Resources Management The client indicated that a competitive salary with only four-year college education were the largest demands for a career in management in either human resources or hospitality management. Unwilling to seek a Master’s degree due to cost and personal obligations, it was necessary for Open Options to satisfy these demands for careers only requiring a four-year Bachelor’s level degree. The role of human resources manager, in most industries, requires only a Bachelor’s in Human Resources in order to receive the average salary of $59,310 (payscale.com, 2011). This was the salary for Lowe’s Home Imp rovement and was competitive with most other industries both retail and non-retail. Educational demands in the role of human resources manager are related to basic business courses, knowledge of applicable labor laws, marketing, and organizational communication. These are typical four-year degree courses that build a rounded applicant profile for the role of HR management. The client indicated that there was a need for a working environment that required little in terms of physical labor and also one where there was a high reliance on technology in daily role obligations. This is why Open Options determined that the career of HR manager would be best-suited to the client needs. For example, the HR manager often utilizes the human resource information system (HRIS) with is â€Å"a composite of databases, computer applications, and hardware/software necessary to store, manage, deliver present and manipulate data† (Ngai & Wat, 2006, p.299). The working condition for an HR manage r is one where technology is integral to serving low-level business populations and also large-scale corporate or multinational business environments. It is thus suited specifically to accommodate needs as identified through the interview. Skills required for the role of HR manager, it was identified through research, include knowledge of human psychology above and beyond the educational degree. â€Å"Human beings are sensitive and reflect on what they experience, responding to inner feelings and interpretations† (Sandoff, 2005, p.530). In order to be an effective HR manager, it is necessary to understand what motivates individuals at the sociological and psychological level in order to gain their commitment and avoid resistance to corporate change practices. Because the client indicated that they were people-focused and enjoyed diverse working environments, it was determined again that the role of HR manager was absolutely suited to fit these needs. When inquired as to wheth er the interviewee would rather work independently or with outside forces in daily job role, a strong inclination was discovered for external consulting based on the high level of people-friendly personality traits. The role of HR manager requires the individual to work with diverse individuals from multiple business sources, including regulatory forces that monitor labor conditions,

The Development of American Colonies Essay Example for Free

The Development of American Colonies Essay Since the discovery of the New World by European powers, the newly established European settlements on American soil varied from region to region. Two such regions were The Chesapeake and The New England regions. Although both were settled vastly by the English people the societies they formed were different. These differences were due to a few factors. The factors include motivation for migration, geography, social, political and economical structures of the settlements. These factors are what contributed to the variations seen in the societies formed by settlers of distinct regions. In the 1600s life in Great Britain was no too pleasant for certain groups of people. The farming population of England was pushed off their land by landlords who began enclosing areas for pasture of animals such as sheep needed to maintain the increasing woolen industry of England. The landless farmers swarmed into cities such as London and Bristol. The cities became overpopulated and unemployment rates soared. People were desperate for jobs. In the 1600s a system called primogeniture was practiced in England. The system ensured that all inheritance went to the oldest son in the family. Younger sons of aristocratic families were left without inheritance where eager to find prosperity of their own. Such people looking for profit decided to try their luck in the New World. The motivation of these people was mostly personal profit. For those of elite origin escaping primogeniture was also a motivation. Another motive which stimulated these courageous people was finding a better route to the Indies which a few competing European powers were also seeking. The leadership was provided by a popular monarch Queen Elizabeth, and the financing by Virginia Joint Stock Company. In 1607 a group of Englishmen set out and settled James Town which became a colony in the Chesapeake region. The first band of settlers was all males, although later shipments of people did include a small fraction of women. This trend could be seen in Document C which contains a list of passengers headed for Virginia in 1635.The passage to the New World was rough and people died in its pursuit. The geography in the Chesapeake region was different from that in England. The hot climate provided for diseases such as malaria to which the English people were not immune. These diseases  killed off many of the colonists. The soil was fertile; the woods full of game and fish was present in the ocean. Yet many of the emigrating men were gentlemen who were not accustomed to work and therefore did not know how to take advantage of these resources. Other colonists spent time searching for gold instead of focusing on survival and the starving time came into being. The colonists died in large numbers of malnutrition and starvation and disease. The colony survived due to the leadership provided by Capitan John Smith. His theory of Those who shall not work shall not eat caused some discipline within the men. As stated in Document F by Captain John Smith the colonists faced hard times. They died of cold and hunger. Captain Smith explained in the document that getting colonists to work was troublesome. Those who hunted gold got others involved and the men wasted time instead of gathering food. Capitan Smith realizing such starvation sent out a ship to summon supplies for the next year. The two councilor that were present in the colony to maintain law and order made friends with the sailors and wanted to sail back to England thus causing Smith trouble to prevent such from happening. Such unruly colonists owed a large part of their survival to Capitan Smith. He made relation with the local Indians and their leader Powhatans aided the colonists in obtaining food. When another shipment of people arrived amongst them was leader Lord de la Warr. He held a harsh military rule and made trouble with the local Indians whom the colonists raided for food. A war was started yet peace came to be when colonists by the name of John Rolfe married the Powhatan princess named Pocahontas. The economy of the colonies improved when John Rolfe perfected tobacco growing. Tobacco was a profitable crop yet it required labor and vast areas of land to grow it upon. Tobacco exhausted soil and the English were forced to press upon Indian Territory to find more land for Tobacco growing. These actions caused Indians to rebel. Another series of Anglo- Powhatans wars was launched and a large number of colonists killed including John Rolfe.  Yet the English won and the peace settlement required the Indians to be uprooted and moved away form the white settlements. These were the origins of reservation systems which later came into being. Tobacco being a profitable crop, plantation system was developed for its growth. Such plantations required labor and the use of the Headright came into being. The system included the use of people called indentured servants. Indentured servants singed contracts and volunteered their labor as slaves for a set number of years in return for passage fair to the New World provided by their master. They were further promised their freedom dues which included a small piece of land, clothing, and a few barrels of corn upon the termination of their indenture. The indentured servants were promised much yet the promises were not always kept. The land they were given was on Indian Territory and caused Indian attacks. Further the land was second rate and not much crops could be grown on such land. The indentures thus faced poverty at the end of their indenture. These conditions caused the indentures to rebel. Bacons rebellion occurred in 1653 and consisted of angry indentures rebelling against the rich land owners who were backed by Governor Berkley or the area. Ideas of the rebellion are vividly described in Document H which explains how wealth was unjustly and unevenly distributed among the landowning population leaving the others including freed indentures to poverty. Another colony in the Chesapeake region was Maryland founded by Lord Baltimore as a haven for Catholics. The economy of the colony also largely depended on the growth and exportation of tobacco and thus also needed labor The Chesapeake region which had connections to the Caribbean saw the black slavery that occurred there and adopted it for the work on plantation. African servants were easier to maintain and control with the use of the Adopted Barbados slave codes. Virginia colony set up a form of government called the House of Burgesses which was a small parliament which governed the colony. Yet the southern colonies were surrounded by enemies of other nations such as the Dutch and  the Spanish in Florida. Government was not always able to defend the colony form such invaders. As Stated in Document G where Governor Berkley explained the colonial inability to defend itself form the Dutch which whom they were forced to share the continent. These attacks of foreigners had to be curbed and controlled by Virginias government. Societies were hard to form in the Chesapeake colonies. The areas were spread out and the establishment of schools and churches was difficult. There was still a shortage of females present in the region. Thus a large number of men could not find a wife and start a family. The few unstable families reproduced slowly compared with the New England Colonies. High mortality rate of men enabled women to have power and inherit their husbands property to support themselves and their children upon becoming a widow. Such were the factors that formed the societies in the Chesapeake colonies. English puritan separatist who believed the Anglican Church was corrupt suffered much prejudice for their religious beliefs. They moved to Holland where they became increasingly aware of the Dutchification of their children, their loss of English language and customs and adoption of Dutch culture. These people wanted a place where they could freely practice their religion while remaining fully English in speech and culture and traditions. Puritans secured a charter form the Virginia Joint Stock company and were supposed to land in James town, yet they sailed off coast and landed in Plymouth. The motivation of these people included mostly religious purposes and the worry of the Dutchification of their children. They thus came in families to settle and stay. These puritans strongly believed in hard work and survival. Only one person died on their passage over. As the list of passengers bound for New England is examined in Document B a trend of women men and children coming as families could be seen. Among the religious motives of the Puritans was the idea of building a perfect holy society that would be an example to all others. Jonathan Winthrop, the founder of the Massachusetts Bay colony. Expressed his desire to build a holy city on a hill blessed by god in Document A. Geography was another factor which influenced the development of the  colonies. New England soil was rocky therefore the families did small subsistence farming in contrast to the export economy sustained in the south. The New England region had access to the ocean therefore fishing and whaling was pursued. The woody region contributed to, much of the lumber used in shipbuilding. The local Indians of the region seemed to be previously wiped out by an epidemic leaving shelters and cleared fields for European settlements. The Wampanoag tribe in the settlement helped the puritans survive by introducing corn and other to them. The colony thus celebrated their first Thanksgiving Day with the Harvest brought about in the fall. The Governmental structure of the colonies was set up before the puritans left the ship to settle New England. The Mayflower Compact was drawn on the ship and was an agreement signed by the male passengers to form a self governing body ruled by majority in the settlements which they were about to established. As could be seen in Document D the Mayflower compact was the first form of the colonies agreement toward the common goal of survival. The government later set up in the colonies was a theocracy. The church was supported by a state tax yet the clergy officials were not able to hold office. Town meetings were administered in which decisions were made by a vote of majority. An assembly called the General Court was elected by free adult puritan males. The General Court made the decisions such as tax and wage regulations in the colonies. In Document E could be examined to see how the General Court assembly controlled prices and wages. Document E is a good example how theocratic even the General Court was often referring to god to prove their point or justify a cause. Outcasts were removed by the government such as minister Roger Williams. Roger Williams was and extreme puritan separatist believed that the puritan church established in the new world further needed reform. He thought that He believed that the Indians of the region were mistreated and deserved better land. Roger Williams was expelled from Massachusetts Bay colony and went further to est. the Rhode Island colony which offered complete religious freedom, no tax supported church and sheltered outcasts such as Anne Hutchinson. Anne Hutchinson also went to defy the puritan theology  claiming that there was no predestination a belief cherished by the puritans. She was exiled and sent to the Rhode Island colony. The economy of the colonies rested largely upon shipbuilding for the British army. Production of products such as tar and rosin were valued by the English navy and were paid well for. Bostons geographical location on a seaport made it a center of trade and commerce, which was a profitable position. Colonies like Rhode Island which often half slave auctions profited from such occurrences. Fishing and export of codfish also sustained the economics of the colonies. Finally the social structure of the New England colonies was different from the southern Chesapeake colonies. The New Englanders formed towns and communities. Education was important many of the colonists had to be literate in order to read the bible. Institutions such as Harvard University were established to train young men for clergy. The families in New England were stable and fertile. They reproduced well and the population grew. As the population grew other colonies such as Connecticut Valley and New Haven colonies were added to the New England region. These colonies were similar expect for Rhode Island colony and later established Quaker Pennsylvania. The Massachusetts colonies even formed a confederation called the New England Confederation with the Connecticut colonies whose purpose was to protect the colonies and was ruled by a voting majority of representatives. In conclusion the variations in geographical, economical, social, political, and motivational factors contributed to the diverse societies formed by people of common English origin. These factors affected the largely the mentality and the way of life of the people residing in these New England and the Chesapeake regions. The differences in the aspects of society mentioned above are what gave the colonies of different regions their distinct characteristics. Bibliography: Bailey, Thomas, and David Kennedy. The American Pageant. 10th. Lexington Massachusetts: D.C. Health and company, 1994.

Literature and Social Change

Literature and Social Change Literature written during the period between 1650 and the mid 1800s encourages us to think for ourselves rather than blindly accept the status quo. Tolstoy, in The Death of Ivan Ilyich reminds us to be mindful of the folly of keeping up with the Jones. Molieres Tartuffe warns against the unquestioning acceptance of religious authority. Swift and Douglass condemn the unthinkable acceptance of human degradation. Whether describing the indiscriminate acceptance of authority or social norms these stories inspire us to use critical thinking as a means of restoring moral principles. Tolstoys depiction of the struggle between the physical and spiritual world reminds us that a life of integrity is a life of meaningful choices. Choices that require careful consideration about what is truly important in life, namely the people in our lives. Ivan Ilyichs acceptance of the challenge to keep up with the status quo led him to a place of painful isolation. Each thoughtless choice cost him personal integrity until he is compelled by impending death to take a judicious look at his life. A Modest Proposal. Historical and cultural biases and stereotypes prevent both oppressors and oppressed from seeing not only the need but the ability to change. Acceptance of poverty as a regrettable condition or an acceptable lifestyle for those people without questioning the validity of such ideas degrades all humanity. Swifts work provoked critical thinking and discussion among the people changing expectations, reforming abuses and reaffirming the value of humanity. Douglass work asserts the worth of all mankind. The practice of enslaving human beings chained not only the slave but the owner as well. Each choice to ignore was a choice to endorse slavery as a reasonable practice. Only when reason was applied, prejudices examined and stereotypes dismantled did ideas about slavery begin to change. The abolition of slavery required rethinking the value of human freedom by slave holders and slaves alike as well as society as a whole. What began as individual revelation grew into a revolution renewing integrity of individuals and a nation. Each story draws the reader into an abusive world created and affirmed by ignorance then offers the means for change, independent thinking. Unquestioned our biases and assumptions unjustifiably impact our thought processes. Restoration of integrity comes about when we are mindful of circumstance and apply critical thinking skills to our situation. As each author illustrates, our power to reason is a powerful tool for change. Question 3 Relevance Still Searching for Significance The stories we read from 1650 through the mid 1800s all address issues that are relevant today. Religious hypocrisy, poverty and slavery still exist with long lasting and detrimental effects. I believe Leo Tolstoys Death of Ivan Ilyich holds the most relevance for todays audience because it speaks to what we have the most control over, our day to day choices. We all have the potential to live meaningful lives and affect our world in a positive way. Tolstoys Death of Ivan Ilyich addresses me, my family, and my community. Our priorities are easily confused when trying to keep up with appearances. Tolstoy contrasts the way we usually live our life, keeping up with appearances and the way we should live our life, with kindness and gratitude. One hundred years after the authors death people still search for fulfillment in materialism. Years ago He who Dies with the Most Toys Wins was a popular bumper sticker. I rarely see it anymore. Consumed by debt we struggle to survive. He who Dies with the Most Debt doesnt have quite the same laugh in the face of death attitude. Its not just toys, we invest heavily in cars and homes, jobs and after school activities believing we are what we appear to be. Appearances are artificial. The substance of who we are, the way we treat people is deeper than appearance. As a nation September 11th especially reminded us of the importance of the people in our lives. Listening to phone calls made to loved ones by nine-eleven victims we wondered, Who would we call first if our plane or building was going to consume us? Who would miss us if in the rescue of another human being we were to loose our life? Certainly the sacrifice of life would be evidence of a life well-lived, an authentic life. But even Ivan Ilyich in a sense sacrifices his life. Certainly he wanted what was best for his family yet they see him as a nuisance, they really just want him to go away. This man provided the best for his family and in return they want nothing to do with him. The material things he provided are ultimately unimportant. Gerashims compassion for Ivan sheds light on what is truly important. Both Ivan and Gershim benefit because of Gershims compassion. Ivan is cared for, his loneliness and pain are lessened. Gershim, having made a difference in someones life, is filled with a satisfaction that can not be cast off. His life has meaning. His compassion comes from his spirit, it is love in action. All the material gifts we give will disintegrate in time but compassion, love for another, has a regenerating power. Love authenticates our lives. When we show compassion for our family, friends, and neighbors our communities are better places. Places where hypocrisy, poverty and slavery have a difficult time existing. The choices we make daily can add up to a meaningful life and a better world. Question 5 Favorite A Renewed Appreciation I thoroughly enjoyed the works we read especially Frederick Douglass, Moliere, and Jonathan Swift but the work that is my favorite is Leo Tolstoys Death of Ivan Ilyich. Tolstoys story had the most effect on me. As I read the story the first time I found myself substituting my own husband for Ivan. He, like Ivan works hard to keep up appearances and works in pain. I, like Ivans wife can barely be bothered with him. The story reminded me that compassion is a two-way street. Now when I think about the story it is not someone else I see in Ivans place but myself. The story is my favorite because it has caused me to think about myself and seek change. The work that is my least favorite is Alexander Popes Rape of the Lock. It was my least favorite because the subject matter and the imagery felt so foreign to me. The piece was difficult to understand, yet I was intrigued, the verse was captivating. As I learned about the imagery and epic poetry I came to appreciate this mock epic. Reading the literature from this time period has caused me to appreciate history and the changes that can be initiated through the power of words.

Countee Cullen :: essays research papers

Countee Cullen Countee Cullen (Porter) was considered by many to be the most talented of the Harlem Renaissance poets. Cullen was a novelist and a playwright, but he was known by most as a poet. He was born on March 30, 1903 in New York. Cullen was adopted at some point between the time of his birth and 1918. By 1921, he changed his last name to Cullen, from his adopted mothers last name. He attended DeWitt Clinton High School between (1918- 1921). During this time he was editor of his schools newspaper and of the magazine Magpie, and during High School he wrote his first poetry that received notice. He also attended New York University for four years. Not much is known of the early years of his childhood up until 1918. Between the time of Cullen’s birth 1918 he was adopted by Rev. Frederick A.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  and Carolyn Bell (Mitchell) Cullen of the Salem Methodist Episcopal Church in Harlem. It is unknown how old Cullen was when he got adopted. Rev. Cullen regained Countee Cullen’s faith back in himself by getting him to understand that any goal or dream that he had to fulfill it. Countee received much help both mentally and physically from his adopted father, it is said that if Countee would not have been adopted by the Reverend he would not have gone as far as he eventually did. Countee Cullen was considered one of the most talented of the Harlem Renaissance poets. A lot of his poetry was written during his high school and college years. During high school Cullen won his first contest, a citywide competition, with the poem â€Å"I Have a Rendezvous with Life,† a non-racial poem. Cullen was also the editor of his high school paper and a literary magazine Magpie. He furthered his wisdom and education at Countee Cullen :: essays research papers Countee Cullen Countee Cullen (Porter) was considered by many to be the most talented of the Harlem Renaissance poets. Cullen was a novelist and a playwright, but he was known by most as a poet. He was born on March 30, 1903 in New York. Cullen was adopted at some point between the time of his birth and 1918. By 1921, he changed his last name to Cullen, from his adopted mothers last name. He attended DeWitt Clinton High School between (1918- 1921). During this time he was editor of his schools newspaper and of the magazine Magpie, and during High School he wrote his first poetry that received notice. He also attended New York University for four years. Not much is known of the early years of his childhood up until 1918. Between the time of Cullen’s birth 1918 he was adopted by Rev. Frederick A.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  and Carolyn Bell (Mitchell) Cullen of the Salem Methodist Episcopal Church in Harlem. It is unknown how old Cullen was when he got adopted. Rev. Cullen regained Countee Cullen’s faith back in himself by getting him to understand that any goal or dream that he had to fulfill it. Countee received much help both mentally and physically from his adopted father, it is said that if Countee would not have been adopted by the Reverend he would not have gone as far as he eventually did. Countee Cullen was considered one of the most talented of the Harlem Renaissance poets. A lot of his poetry was written during his high school and college years. During high school Cullen won his first contest, a citywide competition, with the poem â€Å"I Have a Rendezvous with Life,† a non-racial poem. Cullen was also the editor of his high school paper and a literary magazine Magpie. He furthered his wisdom and education at

Emily Pragers Our Barbies, Ourselves Essay -- Analysis Prager Barbie

Emily Prager's "Our Barbies, Ourselves?" In the essay 'Our Barbies, Ourselves,' Emily Prager explores the history of the Barbie doll and talks about the Barbie doll itself. Prager seems convinced that the Barbie doll was an object created by a man and that Barbie reeks of sexuality, sexual innuendo and serves as the anti-feminist embodiment of every man's fantasy. In her own expressive and persuasive modes to fashion an essay designed to persuade the reader that the Barbie doll is a twisted and corrupt tool designed by men to combat the feminist revolution. Though her attempts at persuasion are commendable, I was not swayed in my opinions on Barbie. If anything, I just found fault with this writer's point of view, and I found her accusations to be outrageous and her 'facts' to be completely wrong.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Prager uses both expressive and persuasive modes in her essay. Her own flavors to this essay express her own frustrations with the ?men? that created Barbie dolls. In truth, Barbie was not created by Jack Ryan. Barbie was created by Ruth Handler. Handler sensed that it was just as important for girls to imagine what they themselves might grow up to become as adult women. In paragraph 2, Prager suggests in her essay that Barbie was fashioned after a man?s dream date with her tiny waist, large bust and feet made for stiletto heels.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In paragraph 6, Prager changes tones and suggests that perhaps Barbie was also an icon that could be embraced by feminists. Barbie i... Emily Prager's Our Barbies, Ourselves Essay -- Analysis Prager Barbie Emily Prager's "Our Barbies, Ourselves?" In the essay 'Our Barbies, Ourselves,' Emily Prager explores the history of the Barbie doll and talks about the Barbie doll itself. Prager seems convinced that the Barbie doll was an object created by a man and that Barbie reeks of sexuality, sexual innuendo and serves as the anti-feminist embodiment of every man's fantasy. In her own expressive and persuasive modes to fashion an essay designed to persuade the reader that the Barbie doll is a twisted and corrupt tool designed by men to combat the feminist revolution. Though her attempts at persuasion are commendable, I was not swayed in my opinions on Barbie. If anything, I just found fault with this writer's point of view, and I found her accusations to be outrageous and her 'facts' to be completely wrong.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Prager uses both expressive and persuasive modes in her essay. Her own flavors to this essay express her own frustrations with the ?men? that created Barbie dolls. In truth, Barbie was not created by Jack Ryan. Barbie was created by Ruth Handler. Handler sensed that it was just as important for girls to imagine what they themselves might grow up to become as adult women. In paragraph 2, Prager suggests in her essay that Barbie was fashioned after a man?s dream date with her tiny waist, large bust and feet made for stiletto heels.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In paragraph 6, Prager changes tones and suggests that perhaps Barbie was also an icon that could be embraced by feminists. Barbie i...

Mystery of Free Will and Moral Responsibility

The Mystery of Free Will and Moral Responsibility We all seem to think that we make decisions on our own and have the ability to choose from making different decisions. We do what we want to do because it seems as if we have many options to choose from to be in control of our own destiny. The basic question of the mystery of free will is that, â€Å"Are we able to really make our own decisions or are the decisions we make already predetermined (with it being inevitable of us making that certain decision)? Our futures seem to be undetermined and have an infinite amount of possibilities of which we are able to choose freely among. Think of your life as a garden of forking paths with each path being a certain decision you make that affects your future. However, many philosophers believe that the thesis of determinism threatens this model of free will. If you may know, determinism is the theory that the universe at any point in time is entirely fixed by the state of the universe at a pr ior time, in combination with the laws of nature.So the reason why this threatens the ‘garden of forking paths’ model of free will is that how can we have so many options to choose when determinism has already chosen one for us? This leads us to another central issue, which is: â€Å"Can free will and determinism co-exist? † The two ways philosophers go about considering this question is either with a ‘yes, they can co-exist’ or ‘no, they cannot. ’ If you were to believe that, yes, free will and determinism can co-exist, then you would be considered a compatibilist.Answering no, free will and determinism cannot co-exist, you would be considered an incompatibalist. Peter Van Inwagen, a prominent figure in the philosophy world, created the consequence argument. In his argument, Van Inwagen explains that if determinism is true, then our acts are just a consequence of the laws of nature and events in the remote past. And since it’s no t up to us what went on before we were born nor what the laws of nature are, the consequences of these things (including our present acts) are not up to us (PowerPoint 1, Slide 23).In short, he explains that if determinism were to be true then no one would ever or has ever made a choice on their own about anything. So if no one has power over the facts of the past and the laws of nature and that no one has the power of the fact that the facts of the past and laws of nature entail that only future is possible, therefore, no one has power over the facts of the future. To further demonstrate his reasoning of the consequence argument, Van Inwagen created the No Choice Principle (NCP). In this example, let ‘p’ = â€Å"Plato died long before I was born. † Let ‘q’ = â€Å"I never met Plato. Now, if I have no choice about ‘p’ and no choice about the fact that (if ‘p’ is true, then ‘q’ is necessarily true. Therefore, I have no choice about ‘q’ (PowerPoint 1, Slide 26). How can one have a choice about something that is inevitably going to happen if one has no choice about it happening? Van Inwagen’s consequence argument is based on the NCP. Now, if determinism and free will can co-exist (Compatibilism is true) then the No Choice Principle must be false (Remember, you would have no free will and no choice of ‘q’ happening because it was never in your control to choose so).But, the NCP is not false, therefore the Compatibilism theory is not true and with this being said the free will thesis and theory of determinism cannot co-exist. I believe that free will is incompatible with determinism, but free will exists because the thesis of determinism is false. I choose this opinion because, going to back to the ‘garden of forking paths’ model, if I come across a path with three forks in it I have the ability to not take one or two of those paths and have the ab ility to freely choose which path I would prefer to take.I know that I have the ability to choose because I can take either 3 paths, but I only choose to take the one which I desire most. Determinists may say that I took that path because it was inevitable. Whichever of the 3 paths I took, it would be inevitable that I took it. The reason why I believe in free will and not the coexistence of both free will and determinism, and determinism itself is because there is no way to prove something of happening inevitably in every occasion. Determinists could say that just about anything was inevitable of happening, what’s their proof? Mystery of Free Will and Moral Responsibility The Mystery of Free Will and Moral Responsibility We all seem to think that we make decisions on our own and have the ability to choose from making different decisions. We do what we want to do because it seems as if we have many options to choose from to be in control of our own destiny. The basic question of the mystery of free will is that, â€Å"Are we able to really make our own decisions or are the decisions we make already predetermined (with it being inevitable of us making that certain decision)? Our futures seem to be undetermined and have an infinite amount of possibilities of which we are able to choose freely among. Think of your life as a garden of forking paths with each path being a certain decision you make that affects your future. However, many philosophers believe that the thesis of determinism threatens this model of free will. If you may know, determinism is the theory that the universe at any point in time is entirely fixed by the state of the universe at a pr ior time, in combination with the laws of nature.So the reason why this threatens the ‘garden of forking paths’ model of free will is that how can we have so many options to choose when determinism has already chosen one for us? This leads us to another central issue, which is: â€Å"Can free will and determinism co-exist? † The two ways philosophers go about considering this question is either with a ‘yes, they can co-exist’ or ‘no, they cannot. ’ If you were to believe that, yes, free will and determinism can co-exist, then you would be considered a compatibilist.Answering no, free will and determinism cannot co-exist, you would be considered an incompatibalist. Peter Van Inwagen, a prominent figure in the philosophy world, created the consequence argument. In his argument, Van Inwagen explains that if determinism is true, then our acts are just a consequence of the laws of nature and events in the remote past. And since it’s no t up to us what went on before we were born nor what the laws of nature are, the consequences of these things (including our present acts) are not up to us (PowerPoint 1, Slide 23).In short, he explains that if determinism were to be true then no one would ever or has ever made a choice on their own about anything. So if no one has power over the facts of the past and the laws of nature and that no one has the power of the fact that the facts of the past and laws of nature entail that only future is possible, therefore, no one has power over the facts of the future. To further demonstrate his reasoning of the consequence argument, Van Inwagen created the No Choice Principle (NCP). In this example, let ‘p’ = â€Å"Plato died long before I was born. † Let ‘q’ = â€Å"I never met Plato. Now, if I have no choice about ‘p’ and no choice about the fact that (if ‘p’ is true, then ‘q’ is necessarily true. Therefore, I have no choice about ‘q’ (PowerPoint 1, Slide 26). How can one have a choice about something that is inevitably going to happen if one has no choice about it happening? Van Inwagen’s consequence argument is based on the NCP. Now, if determinism and free will can co-exist (Compatibilism is true) then the No Choice Principle must be false (Remember, you would have no free will and no choice of ‘q’ happening because it was never in your control to choose so).But, the NCP is not false, therefore the Compatibilism theory is not true and with this being said the free will thesis and theory of determinism cannot co-exist. I believe that free will is incompatible with determinism, but free will exists because the thesis of determinism is false. I choose this opinion because, going to back to the ‘garden of forking paths’ model, if I come across a path with three forks in it I have the ability to not take one or two of those paths and have the ab ility to freely choose which path I would prefer to take.I know that I have the ability to choose because I can take either 3 paths, but I only choose to take the one which I desire most. Determinists may say that I took that path because it was inevitable. Whichever of the 3 paths I took, it would be inevitable that I took it. The reason why I believe in free will and not the coexistence of both free will and determinism, and determinism itself is because there is no way to prove something of happening inevitably in every occasion. Determinists could say that just about anything was inevitable of happening, what’s their proof?